Mickman Brothers, Inc. - Landscapes For Living

Must Have Tools for Gardeners - Mickman Brothers Garden Center

2012-02-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

Hand Trowel & Cultivator

Hand Trowel - Great for planting annuals, perennials, and digging out tough weeds. I always look for one with a sturdy handle-to-scoop connection. I am a little rough on them and they tend to bend or break at that point. I also like trowels with a ruled side on the scoop. This comes in handy when planting fall bulbs at specific depths.

Bypass Pruner

Watering Nozzle

Bypass Pruner - This type of pruner works like a pair of scissors where the blades pass each other to make a nice clean cut. A bypass pruner can cut branches and stems up to ¾” in diameter. They can vary in price a lot, but the most important aspect of a good hand pruner is keeping the blade sharp. A dull blade may shred a stem and it will have a harder time healing.

Adjustable Watering Nozzle – These can come as Spray Guns or Watering Wands. Watering Wands are great for reaching those hanging baskets without getting out the ladder or taking them down. Spray Guns have an adjustable nozzle. Some of the settings include: Stream, Shower, Fan, Mist, Soaker, etc. The one I use the most is Shower. This setting gives a nice soft watering without “blasting” the tender plants.

You could certainly fill a whole potting shed with the amount of Garden Related Gadgets available. But if you have just these three, it will make your gardening experience much easier.

Plant what makes you smile!

Randy Brott

Mickman Brothers Garden Center Manager

14630 Hwy 65, Ham Lake, MN 55304

763.413.3000

randall.brott@mickman.com

www.mickman.com

Planning a Patio - Mickman Brothers Landscape Design

2012-01-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

Click here for information on Winter House Plant Care.

Mickman Brothers 2011 display in St Paul.

Are you pondering adding a patio to your landscape this spring or summer? Planning the details can start right now! You'll need to consider the various things you'll want to do on your new patio: dining; entertaining; adding a fire pit or fireplace; lounging; cooking (pizza oven or built in grill?); storage space; or any of your other spring, summer, fall and even winter activities. Determining the function of your patio can help decide many factors: size; layout; surrounding fences or retaining walls; and lighting needs.

Visit the Mickman Brothers Landscape Gallery to view examples of some Minnesota patios. Our Landscape Designers will be at the St Paul Home and Patio Show Feb 16th-19th at the St Paul River Centre and the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show Feb 29th-Mar 4th at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Our display area will have a variety of materials, patterns and functionality for you to see. We're hoping to inspire you this winter!!

Mickman Brothers Staff

14630 Hwy 65, Ham Lake, MN 55304

763.413.3000

www.mickman.com

Winter Houseplant Care - Mickman Brothers Garden Center

2012-01-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

Click here to Plan your Patio!

If you are anything like me, your houseplants take a backseat during the summer and are finally noticed and appreciated again when the Holiday decorations are gone. They seem to shout “Hey, remember me!” Houseplants cleanse the air you breathe and enliven your home, so here are a couple of things to do to keep your houseplants happy and healthy.

Repot. While some houseplants like to be rootbound (spider plants, mother-in-laws tongue) most would appreciate fresh soil and a slightly larger pot every year or two
Give your houseplants a shower. Dust can build up on the foliage of your houseplants and inhibit the plants ability to exchange gases. Put all of your plants in the shower and give them a spritz with lukewarm water. If you have calcium buildup around the edge of the pot (white/yellow crust) you may want to flush the pot with water until it comes out the bottom. This will leach a lot of the salts from the soil. Be sure to let your pots drain completely before returning them to their spots in your home.
Increase humidity. Most houseplants are from tropical regions where it is naturally humid. The dry air in our homes throughout the winter here in MN can have an adverse affect on them. Try placing smaller plants in a tray of pebbles covered with water. As the water evaporates it will create a more humid environment around the plants. I keep a spray bottle of water near my plants. Every time I go by I give them a spritz or two.
Insects and Mites. The most common insects for houseplants in the winter are mealybugs and fungus gnats. Spider mites can also be a problem. Mealybugs look like small dots of cotton and can be very hard to control because they can get into small crevasses of your plant. Try washing them off and using Neem Oil or Horticultural Soaps as an organic way of taking care of them. If they cannot be controlled after two or three tries it is best just to get rid of the plant. Fungus Gnats are very small and you will usually see them flying near the bases of plants. They usually will do no harm to your plant, but they do have an ICK factor. They like moist soil, so if you let your plant dry out before watering this should take care of the problem. Spider Mites can be hard to see but you will notice their webbing. Before the webbing appears you may see tiny little dots covering leaves. The webbing will encase a leaf that usually curls under. Spider mites like it dry, so keeping the humidity level up or spritzing your plants with water will deter them. You can also use a chemical that is labeled as a miticide. An insecticide will not work because mites are related to spiders. Organic solutions contain horticultural oils. I have spider mite problems every year with the hibiscus plant I bring inside after spending the summer on my deck. I use a product called Mite X and that takes care of them.

I would also recommend using a systemic insecticide on your plants if they have spent the summer outside. Systemic insecticides get up into the plant and kill the insects when they feed off the plant.

These a just a few general tips to keep your houseplants happy and healthy throughout the winter.

Stay warm….Have fun…. and remember…Plant what makes you smile!

Randy Brott

Mickman Brothers Garden Center Manager

14630 Hwy 65, Ham Lake, MN 55304

763.413.3000

randall.brott@mickman.com

www.mickman.com

Winter Tree Pruning - Mickman Brothers Tree Services

2012-01-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

Many times, trees are overlooked in the landscape because you don’t look up! Trees are an important part of our landscape and can beautify your property if correctly cared for. Indefinitely, trees need to be maintained to create a safe, healthy, and attractive canopy.

When trees are young, it is much easier and therefore less expensive to prune (remove) potential future hazards such as weak branch attachments and co-dominant leaders. As trees mature, they need to be evaluated for potential structural defects that could cause harm to people or property and pruned by certified arborists.

Through proper pruning techniques, your trees can have a beautiful, safe canopy that can showcase your home’s landscape. Remember, there are only a few things that gain value as they age – classic cars and trees! Protect your investment with proper maintenance.

Top 8 Reasons to Prune in the Winter

1. The tree is dormant which decreases potential stress to the tree.

2. It is easy to identify the tree’s structure and true form, since it's bare.

3. Less cleanup with no leaves on the tree!

4. Diseases and pests are not a problem. It's way too cold for them!

5. It’s easy to identify dead branches that need to be removed.

6. It helps spread out financial obligations to maintain your property (not all costs have to happen in the summer months).

7. It keeps arborists, like me, busy!

8. And the most important? Prune your oaks in the winter to stop the spread of oak wilt! Whatever you do, never prune in April, May or June!

To schedule a free estimate, please contact Mariah Mickman at 763-413-8296 or mariah.mickman@mickman.com

For more info:

www.treesaregood.com

www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture

Mariah Mickman
Mickman Brothers Arborist
Landscape Maintenance
14630 Hwy 65, Ham Lake, MN 55304
763.413.8296
mariah.mickman@mickman.com

www.mickman.com

Jack the Skipper Part III - A Story by John Mickman

2011-07-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

As a greenhorn on a the commercial shrimp fishing boat out of Kodiak, Alaska, the skipper of the boat I was fishing on, Jack, was really putting me through the paces. This was just a summer job for me, and he didn’t like me much – or so it seemed…

At 4:30 AM, I woke up Jack with a cup of fresh coffee, and after growling a few choice profanities at me, took his place at the helm and told me to get breakfast started, but we would lower the shrimp trawl in about 15 minutes, and eat as soon as we were towing it across the bottom.

So that first trip began with Bert and me on deck, and Jack ruling the boat with an iron fist at all times. Because Jack knew Bert's dad and uncle, Bob and Evan Parker, and they had personally hired him, Bert began to be treated pretty well. But I caught hell no matter how well I did my job.

Trip after trip, he wouldn't let it go, actually, it got worse, not better. Jack was the Skipper, Bert was the Engineer and I was everything else. My work was never done. Cooking, cleaning the galley, the Head, the deckhouse and the wheelhouse (more clean than they had ever been I was certain), mending the shrimp nets both at sea and in the harbor, planning the meals and doing all the shopping when we were back in Kodiak to unload.

At those times, back in Kodiak, I barely had time to run up to Paul and Sam's house to do my laundry. After the cannery guys had the shrimp unloaded, I had to clean and scrub the hold 'surgically clean' so the next load of shrimp wouldn't rot. Then, put the water tight hatch cover back on, then to the ice dock to get ice, then to the fuel dock to take on fuel, then back out to the fishing grounds.

I was getting tired. We'd fish until about 11 PM, then have dinner, I'd clean the galley while Jack and Bert went to bed, then get everything ready for cooking breakfast before falling asleep. Being the cook, I got up first, started a pot of coffee, started the engines to get them warmed up, then when the coffee was ready, I'd wake up Jack.

The Sogn's anchor as we steam out of Jap Bay.

Then, my favorite part of the day would begin. While on these shrimp trips, we'd anchor up in Jap Bay where it was always flat calm, and at 4 AM, the sun was just lighting up the sky and the seagulls would begin flying around the boat. I'd go to the anchor winch on the bow, and when Jack gave me the word, always with a few choice adjectives, I'd start hoisting the anchor, making sure the wire rope, and then the chain, laid down nicely on the huge anchor winch drum.

I always brought a nice hot cup of coffee up there with me, and after Jack pointed The Sogn out to sea, I'd light up a cigarette, drink my coffee and watch the world come alive for another day. There were always many sea lions sliding off of their rock islands, and most times I could spot a Blacktail Deer or two darting off into the woods of the near shores. When the tide is out, the table is set, and many times I was lucky enough to spot a fox prancing along the tide pools looking for an easy breakfast. It was summertime, and many days were sunny and warm.

When we were a few minutes from where Jack wanted to set our net for the first tow of the day, I'd wake up my buddy Bert, and together we'd lower the net for the tow of the day, then eat breakfast while we dragged that first tow. Jack had a good feel for where the shrimp were and we always returned to Kodiak with a full load. It was 1972, and I was averaging about $1,000 per week - good money for these days, but a fortune back then.

Headed back to Kodiak with a full load of shrimp.

There were few things in my young life more satisfying to me than coming back up the channel into Kodiak with a full load of product. Fishing is the life blood of Kodiak, and being a working part of that was about as gratifying an experience as I had ever had - or ever would.

Life was good, except for Jack, who continued to ride me every chance he could. I was doing a good job for him, but his normal tone with me was yelling and cursing. I was convinced he wanted me to quit, but I wasn't a quitter, and he had no reason to fire me. Finally, just before the last trip of the season after which I planned to hitchhike back to Minnesota to finish up school, he laid into me like he was insane for absolutely no reason at all. I snapped and told him I quit; he could just get himself another whipping boy because I was 'outta there. I went into the crew's quarters, packed my gear and started to leave. To my surprise, Jack met me on deck and apologized. I couldn't believe it; I didn't think he had it in him. But it was a sincere request for me to stay onboard and finish up this next trip. I told him I appreciated the gesture, and if he agreed to treat me as the good deckhand I was, I would agree to make this last trip. He offered his hand and we shook on it. Big mistake!

After leaving the harbor with land being a mile or two from the boat, Jack came out on deck as I was finishing getting it 'ship-shape' and laid into me with a renewed sense of vigor and a fresh new set of swear words. Unbelievable! I suggested to Jack that he must have some kind of mental problem. That didn't go over very well, and the abuse rose to a whole new level.

That was it! I told Jack to turn the damn boat around and let me off; I quit. He calmed down immediatly, and gave the same sneering smile I had seen the first day I met him back at the dock of the King Crab Cannery. "John", he said. "We ain't goin' back. If you want to quit, start swimming." He turned on his heels and went back up to the wheelhouse. The next 4 days were the worst days of my life, before and after. He wouldn't relent. It was like he went berserk. I toughed it out and we got another full load, almost another thousand bucks.

When we finally returned to Kodiak, I finished my work on the Sogn, and went up to the owner's house, Frank Tennyson, to get my final check. Frank, who had been ill, was healed and ready to run his boat again. He told me how proud of me he was, and that during the past shrimp season, we had broken all the records for the most production the boat had ever had. He knew Jack was a tough skipper, but that he had heard from the Parker Brothers through their son Bert, that I was doing an awesome job despite the unruly behavior of Jack the Skipper. Awesome.

After leaving Frank's door, I began walking down his driveway, and up drove Jack. My heart sank. However, surprisingly, Jack had an actual full smile showing and he came up to me and offered his hand; I shook it. "John", he said. "I've worked with a hundred guys on deck over the years, but I've never seen one learn as fast as you, work as hard as you, and seen anyone enjoy fishing as much as you. Next Spring, after you get out of school, you come and see me. If I'm running a boat, I'd be honored to have your work on my deck. If I'm not running a boat, I'll make sure you get a job on one of my buddy's boats."

I was awe-struck. "What are you talking about Jack. You just put me through 3 months of pure hell. You never gave me a break. I had to learn the hard way - for everything. You gave me more work than anyone else on the boat. I haven't had a dinner on shore for the whole time and I haven't had a decent night's sleep for months. If you think I'm such a good deckhand, why did you wait until now to tell me?" I exclaimed.

Jack replied, "Because you weren't a deckhand at all when I hired you, and you knew it. You were a long-haired college kid on a lark. And by God, if you were going to work on the deck of a boat I was running, I was damned well going to be sure that you earned your keep. And you did that in spades. You did a great job for me. We all had a record breaking season. Thank you."

You could have pushed me over with a feather.

Along the Alaskan highway as we hitch-hiked back to Minnesota.

I did hitch-hike back to Minneapolis with my girlfriend and future wife Su, and finished my degree in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota at the end of Winter Quarter. But, I didn't stick around for the graduation ceremony. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life, at least right then, and knew that I wanted to go back to Kodiak, Alaska to fish. I got my job back aboard The Sogn and worked on a series of fish boats, each one better than the last, until I got on a boat called The Marcy J. I stayed five years before I returned to Minnesota to start Mickman Brothers with my brother Chris.

As my old buddy Tony says, 'Life is good'.

Jack the Skipper Part II - A Story by John Mickman

2011-07-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

In Part I of Jack the Skipper, I had just been 'hired', working for free aboard the shrimp trawler, The Sogn. Now I had to earn a permanent berth aboard on the best shrimp boats in the fleet.

John Mickman with the MV Sogn in 1972

The Sogn was a wooden hulled, herring type seiner, built after WW II. She was 72 feet long and was half deck and half deckhouse with the wheelhouse atop the deckhouse on the forward half of the boat. A well maintained boat, The Sogn was white with turquoise trim. The shipbuilder that made this class of boats had a trademark of adding a laminated, iron wood guard on the side of the bow on which the anchor came up to protect the hull. This was a heavy duty work boat with huge wooden beams and ribs throughout. As The Sogn's wood 'worked' in heavy weather, I thought how perfectly named she was, as she would 'sing' as each sea pounded against her hull.

This first trip on The Sogn was an easy one because there were four of us on deck, Ron, Rick, Bert and me; a full deck crew was only 2 guys. But, the big challenge for me was to prove to Jack that he should pick me instead of Rick as Ron's permanent replacement. I worked hard and knew the basics of the job. I helped chop ice in the hold for Bert who was Jack's official 'Ice Man'.

Bert was a couple years younger than me, maybe 19 or so, and had been fishing since he was a little kid. His family had been fishermen way back since they invented fishing, and his dad and uncle (Bob & Evan Parker) owned an old schooner named The Tom & Al. The Parker Brothers had fished up and down the Pacific Northwest for 50 years and knew every nook and cranny. They were a hard working, hard drinking pair and had more stories than they could remember. Bert had even hunted whales on The Tom & Al as a boy, and had operated the harpoon gun on the bow numerous times years before. Wild stuff; the Parker brothers had a reputation all up and down thousands of miles of the North Pacific coastline. Nobody tangled with the Parkers on purpose, and if they did, they all wish they hadn't.

Bert Parker with his Dad & Uncle's boat in the background, The Tom & Al

However, Bert Parker was a young, lanky kid and a hard worker, with a quick laugh, a crooked smile and a full shock of wavy blonde hair. He and I got along great and he really appreciated help chopping the ice in the hold - a truly thankless job.

After arriving at the fishing grounds, just inside of Two Headed Island, Ron and I lowered the shrimp trawl to the bottom of the bay; this went without a hitch. I joined Bert in the 'hold' and helped him chop ice into flakes in preparation for icing the shrimp. After we had enough ice chopped, I went into the galley made a batch of 'drop biscuits', drizzled a healthy dose of butter over the top of them and passed them around to the crew with a fresh pot of coffee. We had about an hour to kill after Bert and I had chopped enough ice, and we all lazed around the deck, chewing our biscuits and washing them down with coffee. The sun had come out, and we were all enjoying the day. Then Jack yelled down, "Lets pick 'er up boys - see if we got anything."

Ron enjoying a lunch of raw shrimp.

Ron and I ran the winches together to left the net off of the bottom and when we brought the first 'tow' to the surface it was a good one; about 3,000 pounds of shrimp. The gear on The Sogn wasn't heavy duty enough to handle that much poundage all at once, so we needed to 'split' the catch several times to get it all on deck. This took awhile, but it went smoothly, and after about 20 minutes, we were able to get the net back in the water, fishing again. During this whole time, Rick had to stand off to the side because he didn't have a clue as to what was going on. I helped Bert ice the shrimp down in the hold, while Ron and Rick shoveled them through the 'man hole' hatches. With 4 guys, this was easy work.

Jack was ever vigilant. While we were 'towing', he could engage 'Iron Mike', the auto-pilot we had on board, and walk across the top of the deck house from the Wheelhouse and watch what was happening on deck. He had a very colorful, profane vocabulary, and he used it skillfully to make his points. "Who taught you (swear word) how to fish? Pick up the pace down there or I'll have some other (multiple, adjective swear words) to work on my deck. C'mon, let's get going down there you (embarrassing swear word)", Jack yelled down to us.

Although he was trying, Rick just couldn't get into the rhythm of shrimp fishing. He was making mistakes, and one time almost crushed my right arm to pulp between the port side stanchion and one of the huge net spreading, steel 'doors'. Ron saw what happened, and read Rick the 'riot act'. "The most important thing is that we all get back to Kodiak in one piece", he yelled at Rick. "You better pay attention or stay in the galley mister". This was really a very close call for me and a good lesson. I learned to watch carefully, listen hard, pay attention and move fast at all times on the deck of this, and the many other boats I was to fish on over the years.

I was Jack's designated cook, and did the best job I could, thinking up meals I thought Jack would like. Obviously I hadn't done the grocery buying, but the galley was pretty well stocked. The stove was an old fashioned, flat top wood burning stove that had a small oven and a large griddle on top, but which was fired with diesel fuel instead of wood. It was hot by the firebox and warm on the other end. It was pretty hard to cook on this antiquated creature, but I did the best I could coordinating meals so that everything was finished at about the same time.

The way eating works on a fish boat is that when the cook finished making the meal, he then calls the crew in to eat. While they eat, the cook goes into the wheelhouse to 'watch the wheel' while everyone else enjoys their hot meal. When the skipper finishes, he comes up to the wheelhouse and the cook (me) goes back down to the galley to eat a (now cold) meal. I didn't care or complain; I had every intention of getting this job.

Jack never gave me any encouragement or instructions. However, Ron was a good instructor and Bert gave me many tips as well; neither of them cared for Rick very much. After three full days, we had filled The Sogn with a full load of 75,000 pounds of shrimp and began the 8 hour trip back to Kodiak from the 'Two Headed' fishing grounds near the South end of the Island. During that trip, Jack announced that Rick would have to get off the boat; I was hired as a deck hand, albeit at a half share percentage until Jack felt I was worth a full share.

John & Rick in the hold - covered in shrimp.

The crew of the next trip was comprised of Jack the Skipper, Bert the Engineer and me as Deckhand and chief cook. Just after we threw off the dock lines and headed out into Chiniak Bay, Jack came out from the Wheelhouse, walked across the top of the Deckhouse and looked down on his lowly crew."OK you sons of #@##$". Jack yelled at us. "Get that deck shipshape and I want to have dinner on the galley table by the time we get to Cape Chiniak. What are you guys looking at; get to work!", after which he turned on his heels and strode back into the Wheelhouse.

"Jeez Bert, I sure wish Jack would mellow out a little bit?" I said as we turned to.

"John, Jack is the Skipper, he doesn't need to be a nice guy. He is the final word on everything, like a King of something. We just need to try to be one step ahead of him all the time so he doesn't have a excuse to yell at us," Bert offered.

"Yea, well it isn't very fair", I replied.

Bert started laughing, "Fair hasn't got anything to do with it John. You're at sea now; different rules."

Well, Bert and I turned to, and got the deck ready to go to sea, during which time I turned up the heat on the galley stove and let some steaks marinate. Dinner was ready just before we began rounding Cape Chiniak, and I climbed up the latter to the wheelhouse and told Jack the deck work was complete and his dinner was ready. He instructed me to keep a course between Uyak Island and Kodiak Island - right down the middle. "Got it Jack", I told him as he brushed by me on his way down to the galley.

The sun was getting lower in the sky, but at this time of the year it doesn't actually get dark until about midnight. The sea was a little lumpy, with a good sized chop on top of a rolling ground swell coming in from the Southeast, but The Sogn was a pretty good sea boat in moderate weather, and the ride was pretty comfortable.

I had brought a cup of coffee up with me and lit up a cigarette. Not bad I thought; Jack doesn't seem to like me much, but that's OK, I can deal with it. As I watched sun play on the surface of the water, a small school of Dahl Porpoises came alongside and began swimming back and forth across the bow of The Sogn. Cool.

After 20 minutes or so, Jack returned to the wheelhouse and told me to eat dinner, then get some rest; Bert was going to take the first Wheelwatch. My dinner was cold by then, but there was plenty of it, and I was hungry. After cleaning up the galley, I sacked out in my bunk for about 3 hours, when Bert woke me up to take my 4 hour Wheelwatch. I started a fresh pot of coffee and then relieved Bert. "So when we get to the Two Headed fishing grounds, do you think we'll get some more sleep Bert?", I asked with a big yawn.

"You're kidding right?" Bert replied. "By then it'll be 5 AM, time to start fishing again. I'm going to get some sleep. See ya in a few hours", he said as he went below to the crews quarters. I only got 3 hours of sleep that night, the same as most nights for the next 3 months.

End of Part II. Watch for next week's conclusion of ‘Jack the Skipper’ and find out about the surprising ending of this tale!

Jack the Skipper Part I- A Story by John Mickman

2011-07-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

PART I:
This story is third in a series of some of my adventures working as a commercial shrimp and crab fisherman in the North Pacific and Bering Seas in the 1970's and '80's. I had taken a quarter off from my senior year at the University of Minnesota, and hitchhiked to Kodiak, Alaska with just a hundred twenty dollars in my pocket. At this point in the series, I had just gotten back from my first trip on a shrimp boat, The Pacific Pearl, that my buddy Tony Jones had helped me get.

The Pacific Pearl

Tony Jones' older brother Chris arrived in Kodiak to take the second deckhand position on the old wooden shrimp trawler, The Pacific Pearl. After spending almost two months trying to find a job on a fish boat, I had been secretly hoping Chris wouldn't arrive and that I could sign on to work with Tony. However, after meeting Chris I quickly changed my mind. Like Tony, Chris was an a great guy and the three of us became fast friends. After the shrimp were unloaded off of the Pacific Pearl, I helped them take on ice for their next shrimp fishing trip and watched them steam out of the bay while I watched from shore, once again without a job. (A year later, the Pacific Pearl sunk in Shelikof Straights and two men were lost.)

However, now I had a couple of new things going for me; I had experience on a shrimp boat and dozens of shrimp boats were now fishing. Certainly one of them could use another deckhand!

Kodiak, Alaska Harbor in 1972

So, I continued my daily route, covering the harbor, cannery row, Sutliff's Marine Hardware and the fisherman's bars - multiple times each day. It is a full time job getting a full time job, and I was on the docks by 7 AM and stayed with it all day and evening for another two weeks. I always wore my hip boots and now wore what we call a 'Halibut Hat', to keep the perennial drizzle off of my head. Although I had met over a hundred fishermen, no one knew of any jobs. It was becoming difficult to hear the same rejections time and time again, dozens of times daily.

One chilly, wet day as I walked along the dock of King Crab Cannery, a shrimp dragger named The Sogn had just finished being unloaded; I knew because I had been there earlier in the day while the cannery guys were unloading her. However, this time one of the deckhands was straightening the deck in preparation for another trip. It was low tide, so this guy was about 20 feet lower than I was while standing on the dock.

I called down over the noisy din of the cannery operation behind me, "Hey, do you guys have a full crew?". The guy sized me up as he craned his neck up to see me; yet another young deck hand looking for a job. After looking me over, the guy yelled up to me, "Yeah, we're one man short. Do you have any experience?"

I couldn't believe my ears; these guys actually needed to hire a deckhand! "Well sure", I called back. "I've fished with Dick on the Pacific Pearl!". The guy stopped what he was doing and said, "Dick is a good skipper. Come on down on deck." Oh man, this was it; if this conversation went well, I might get a job!!!

The MV Sogn - A combination shrimp dragger & crab boat

After scrambling down the ladder to the deck of The Sogn, the guy held out his hand and introduced himself as Ron Tennyson, the boat owner's son. Ron was a couple of years older than me and kind of hard looking, but had a real easy manner. "Come on in the galley and get a cup of coffee", Ron said. "Let's get out of this weather." After he poured a couple of strong cups of 'ships coffee', we each fired up a cigarette and Ron explained the situation. "My dad is in poor health and hired a guy named Jack to run the boat for him. I'd run it, but I'm already committed to working on a salmon seiner in a week or two, so someone has to take my place on my dad's boat. Jack has promised to give a chance to another guy named Rick, but Rick doesn't have any experience like you do. I think you'd be a better deck hand than Rick. I wish you'd been here earlier", he explained.

Unbelievable! After working at keeping tabs on all the boats I could for almost two months, there had been a job opening and I didn't know about it - and now it might be too late. I had an idea. "Well, I do have experience on the Pacific Pearl and I know I'd do a great job for the boat. How about if I went out for free this first trip and Jack can decide who he wants to keep; me or Rick", I suggested.

"Boy, that's a good idea", Ron said. "Rick is going out for free too because of no experience. I think Jack will go for it. He will be back aboard in a couple of minutes. Why don't you wait around and when he arrives and I'll talk to him about it?"

"OK, sounds like a plan. If Jack wants to talk to me, just let me know", I said just as I saw someone coming down the ladder from the dock. As this new, older guy walked past me on deck, I tried to say hi but he brushed by me without acknowledging my existence. Not a good sign, I thought to myself.

After Jack the Skipper went into the galley, I stayed on deck, kind of close to the split Dutch Door of the galley to listen for Ron to call me in. I couldn't hear much of what Ron said, but I could hear that Jack was upset because he was yelling at Ron. "By God Ron, I'm the skipper; you have no authority to hire anyone when I'm in charge. I'm the Skipper and no one can hire crewmen except me. Just because your dad owns the boat doesn't give him the right to hire my crew." Ouch, I thought to myself. This may not work out after all.

Then Ron started yelling and he argued that Jack had hired an inexperienced guy and his guy (me) was obviously better because I had experience fishing with Dick on the Pacific Pearl.

I was nervous, no one has asked me just HOW MUCH experience I had - less than one day. When Ron called me to come in the galley, I was nervous. As I closed the lower half of the Dutch Door, I got my first good look and impression of Jack. In one word; ferocious! He was about 35 years old, had jet black hair, dark chiseled features and had an enormously strong looking upper body. His sleeves were rolled up exposing the most muscular forearms I had ever seen; they looked like Popeye the Sailor's forearms . He wasn't that tall, maybe 5' 10", but he had an extremely commanding presence. "So you've fished with Dick on the Pacific Pearl. Is that right?", he growled at me with one of the most intimidating looks I had ever seen.

"Yeah, that's right", I said. "Tony Jones was the other deck hand."

"Well the strike just ended 2 days ago", Jack said. "How long were you on board?".

This was the dreaded question. "I just fished one trip with them, but there were only the 3 of us on board; I know all there is to know about handling the deck work of a shrimp dragger. I was the Iceman, and we didn't lose one shrimp. I know Dick will give me a good word if you want to ask him", I said to Jack and looked right at him in the dim light of the galley.

"Ha", Jack said with a sneer to Ron, "You've only made one trip, and a short one at that. I don't call that experience. You're only a beginner. You're also a college kid aren't you. We're working men in this fleet; we do this for a living. I've already hired another guy".

After over two months trying to get on a boat I was not going to let this guy back me down. I used all the recently learned fishing lingo I could remember and told him he would never find a harder working deckhand than me. "I'll go out on the first trip for free", I suggested to Jack. "I know there is another guy you're looking at. Why don't you let both of us go out and decide for yourself after the trip, who will make more money for you?"

Jack said, "You're a long haired, hippy kid just looking for a summer job. I'm not interested."

That's when Ron jumped back in. "Jack, I've got to get off my dad's boat after next trip, and although you're the skipper, this is my family's boat. I want to see the best man get this job; it's important to all of us. Give this guy a chance. I'm going out on this next trip and we'll just see who the best guy is. Come on - doesn't that make sense", Ron said in an extremely convincing manner. It sure sounded good to me!

Jack pulled out a Lucky Strike and lit it with his well worn Zippo lighter. After taking a deep drag, he announced, "OK, we'll take the college kid this trip, but understand Ron, this is my decision, not yours. Fair enough?" Ron agreed.

So, the deal was struck (although I couldn't think of a more negative way to get a job). But, no matter; I had a job (even though I wasn't going to be paid). What neither Ron nor Jack knew was how motivated I was to prove myself. I had no idea who this other guy Rick was, but I knew he wasn't going to out-work me, and although I didn't have much experience, I knew the drill of a shrimp dragger. I was going to be the permanent deck hand on The Sogn, not Rick. There was no doubt in my mind.

Jack looked at me and said, "I don't like this idea, but I'm willing to give you a shot John. Get your gear; we're leaving for the ice dock in 20 minutes." Jack had a certain way of smiling at me, and this was the first time I saw it; the smile was more like a sneer - like he knew something that I didn't know - but should. I really couldn't read this look at all. Yet.

"OK Jack", I held out my hand. He shook it with a vice like grip while looking at me with his spooky smile and told me I'd better hurry; he wasn't going to wait for me. I left the galley of The Sogn, scrambled back up the ladder and ran back to Paul and Sam's house to get my gear. I hadn't been this excited for a long time. Even though I was going to do it for free again, I HAD A JOB AS A FISHERMAN!

When I returned to The Sogn, the other guy, Rick, was on board as was the Iceman, Bert Parker. The engines were already fired up, and Jack told us to throw off the lines; we were underway.

Watch for next week's edition of 'Jack the Skipper' and find out if Jack chose me or Rick to work the deck of The Sogn.

Three Teaspoons of Sugar - A Story by John Mickman

2011-06-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

All of us knew her as 'Sunny'; she was one of the mom’s in our neighborhood when we were growing up. I don't know who gave her that nickname, but it is the most appropriate name possible for this wonderful woman. Sunny's open and welcoming smile was easy for her to come by, and it brightened the days of many during her lifetime.

Sunny at the Garden Center in 2007

I had a tough time with arithmetic in the second grade. When I told Sunny about my problem, she taught me and her son Cris, my best buddy, how to play cribbage. I soon became an expert arithmetician; to this day I am good with numbers and this skill serves our family business well. Sunny always drank a lot of coffee, and during this training I thought I should drink what Sunny was drinking. She smiled, and I smiled back; then she poured me a cup of coffee. It took 3 teaspoons of sugar to please my young taste buds.

Sunny made wreaths for our family wreath business. She was never one of the ladies that my dad had to send his wreath coach to; Sunny's balsam fir Christmas Wreaths were always beautiful, and they graced the homes of hundreds of families each Christmas during the '50's and early '60's.

My best friend Cris was her son. Her son Brian was my brother Mark's best friend. The four of us were a consummate four-some, fishing at the 3rd Spot on Rice Creek for bullheads, planting trees on my dad's tree farms and running 'The Route' for the Wreath Business. Three of us died before our parents passed away; there is no greater grief a person can know than that. Although Sunny wore her grief heroically, these losses changed us all. But finally Sunny's smile returned and her ray of sunshine made these senseless young deaths easier for all of us to bear.

The loss of Sunny will leave a huge hole in the lives of many. Don't we all wish we had a smile that could light up the room like hers? Few people have given me gifts like Sunny gave me. I miss her each time I ladle 3 teaspoons of sugar into my daily cup of coffee...

Shared with others with the blessing of Sunny’s daughter, Diane (Archibald) Lee

Written December 4, 2010

Water Responsible - Mickman Brothers Irrigation and Lawn Sprinklers

2011-06-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

During the summer months, up to 70% of our household water use goes out to water our lawn and landscape. This is why it is so important that your irrigation system is operating at peak performance. It’s also important to have Mickman Brothers' IA Certified Irrigation Technicians do the job right. Many common problems, such as poor head pressure, misplaced heads and worn nozzles can be fixed and updated with newer irrigation technology.

Here is a link to a great article from last Friday’s Anoka County Union (6/10/2011) about saving water, improving your system’s performance and the importance of consulting a certified Irrigation Professional like Mickman Brothers. Give us a call today and see what a difference we can make. 763.434.1487

Jeff Sutter
Managing Director, Irrigation Division

Taking a Different Tack; Part II - A Story by John Mickman

2011-06-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

Last week the story left off at the end the sailing trip aboard the 37’ sloop Morning Star. Brother Jim and I had experienced a hard sail against the wind the previous day, and today we had wanted to get an early start.

The alarm went off at 5:45 AM and I rolled out of my bunk and started a pot of coffee. Going out on deck, the sun was not up yet but the sky was beginning to show a gun-steel grey and the low clouds were streaming past Morning Stars rigging, hell-bent for high water. I looked at the anemometer and it read 20 knots of wind, right there in the harbor. Hmmmm...

Back in the deckhouse, Jim was heating water for his tea while he finished putting his sweater on. "Looks like you're about ready to go Jim" I said. "Let's fire up the engine and get the rigging ready to go while we're waiting for the caffeine to get ready." By 6 o'clock we were throwing off the lines and heading out toward the breakwater.

As we glided through the water under power, a light rain started coming down which the wind was driving in sheets. Jim and I both squinted into the weather, watching for the navigation buoys that would guide us out of the harbor. When we reached the tall, stone rip-rap breakwater, a hundred pelicans were standing in a straight line across the top, beaks into the wind with wings tucked tightly to their bodies. The anemometer now read 24 knots.

Just before we broke out from behind the breakwater, I turned our bow into the wind and Jim hoisted the mains'l. On the way up, the sail was flapping like crazy. "Keep going Jimmy", I called out as he cranked the windless as fast as he could, which raised the sail. "The batons have cleared the skipjacks so just go full bore!", I exclaimed trying to minimize wear and tear on the sail because it was flapping so hard. "OK Jim, just 3 more feet, 2 more feet, 6 inches more. That's it. Make 'er fast", and Jim secured the halyard brake and took the mains'l halyard off the windless. Next Jim spread the fores'l as I turned the boat to port. When the wind caught both these sails, Morning Star began to fly on her own and I shut down the engine. "Yeee-Haaa..." Jim shouted as the wind seemingly lifted the boat half way out of the water. "We're just flying along John".

I smiled at Jim, a little less exhilarated; the anemometer read 32 knots as we broke free of the harbors' breakwater. The morning's forecast hadn't been any different from the previous evenings; 25 knots 'till noon, then 30 knots - but it was only 6:30 and we already had over 30 knots of wind. To make matters worse, the wind had not let up over the night, and the seas had continued to build. There were 8 foot sea's, plus the odd rogue wave to over 12 feet. Big weather for our 37' sailboat.

Morning Star

But, Morning Star is a tough little boat and parted the seas nicely as we sailed along. I advised Jim that we may need to put the weather on our tail and return to the harbor if it got too much tougher, but for the time being we'd keep plowing along.

The other bad news was that the wind was still from the NNW - right from the direction we needed to go. So we began our close coast tacking, back and forth sailing rapidly, but never in the right direction. After an hour, we had only gained about 3 miles of distance toward Dana Point, even though we were making about 5 knots of speed.

As the wind continued to build, now at 35 knots, Jim and I decided to take a different tack: "We just aren't making enough headway Jim. I think we need to head off-shore about 10 or 12 miles and hope to catch the wind off our portside bow enough to blow us up to Dana Point", I said. Jim agreed, but offered that he hoped we wouldn't need to get that far off shore, "At 5 knots that 10 miles is going to take 2 hours John, and we'll be going in the wrong direction. We won't get any further away from Dana Point, but we sure won't be getting any closer. Don't you want to be back in a harbor by noon?" he asked.

"Yea I do Jim, but we aren't going to make it by trying to tack back and forth all day. I think it's worth a shot. If we don't like the way it's going, or the weather gets too tough, we can always change course and let the wind blow us back to Oceanside", I said. "OK John, let' come about then. A different tack - coming up!", Jim shouted.

Jim is a great guy to go sailing with, as we can bounce ideas off each other until we arrive at the best decisions. Hopefully. And being my brother, he has the same sense of adventure and 'brinkmanship' as me. We're both always ready to take a calculated risk - usually with a backup plan in place. "OK Jimmy, coming about", I yelled through the wind as Jim went forward to work the rigging.

John, at the helm of Morning Star

When we got on our new course, just a tad north of due west, we picked up another knot of speed to 6 knots. Our 10 mile goal would take us about an hour and a half. Morning Star was knifing through the building seas nicely, but the further out we got, the higher the seas became. When we were down in the trough between two seas, we could not see over their crests.

But Morning Star was doing great and the wind was steady, now at over 35 knots. As Jim and I talked about the wind and the water, we watched as multiple squalls out to sea raced along, most of the time missing us, but not always. When one of the racing squalls hit us, the wind would pick up a couple of knots and the rain would come down sideways, peppering our faces with hard, cold pricks. Very irritating.

When we were about 8 miles off shore, Jim went below to make a pot of tea to warm up a little bit; I'm not much of a tea drinker, but a nice hot cup of tea sounded good to me too. As we were passing through yet another squall, I squinted through the rain and noted what looked like a sea racing toward us that was much bigger than the others. "Rogue Wave!", I yelled out to Jim down in the galley. "Hang on!"

Years ago while fishing the North Pacific on the King Crab boat the Marcy J, my buddy Chris Jones and I often talked about the different effects of wind on the water. We came up with a grading system that seemed to work pretty well and we always knew what the other was referring to. Flat calm was when the surface was still as a Mill Pond; not a ripple. This condition is rare and we only really saw it when the barometer would drop precipitously before a SW gale. It would become very calm - and scary if we were fishing way off shore.

Then there was a rippled surface, then waves, then seas and then ground swells. After a couple of days of 40 knot plus winds, the ground swells are the ones that grow to 40 foot plus monsters. The distance between the crests of huge ground swells can approach a hundred yards or more depending upon the height of the swell. The problem is that in big weather, there are ripples on the waves, waves on the seas, that can approach 20 feet, and seas on the 40 ground swells. When a big sea and a huge ground swell break together at the crest it is an unfortunate place for your boat to be. This whole living thing moves at breakneck speed and no vessel will slow it down; the ship needs to move with the sea or she will break apart.

I've never found anything more exhilarating than being at sea in a storm - big or small. The energy of the wind and water as they move past you and your vessel is incalculable. If you're on a good boat, it's fun. If you are not, it will be terrifying.

They call them rouge waves, but this one was a 20 foot sea, and it came screaming up to us at breakneck speed. As Morning Star climbed up the steep side of this sea, there were large waves upon her surface that were breaking, and their froth was being lifted off the water and into the air; 'smoke on the water'. I glanced at the anemometer; the needle bounced off 40 knots of now screaming wind. This was sailing!

The boat was cutting through these smaller waves nicely, but as we neared the top of this sea, a large wave joined with the sea and they combined to break together into a foaming broth of cold sea water. I held on to the wheel tightly as our bow went through this breaker - not over it - cascading water across the whole boat. Heavy spray hit me hard across the face and chest in a refreshing burst that nearly took my breath away. As my eyes cleared, I saw our bow and the front third of the boat clear the top of the sea, becoming airborne, and then come crashing down the back side as we raced down to the trough again. I worried that the bow would bury itself into the next oncoming sea and have a tough time recovering, but when we hit bottom, Morning Star's bow bobbed up like a cork; no worries.

When the commotion died down, I called down to Jimmy; we needed to talk. "OK Jim, that last sea was a big one and right at the wrong moment the wind hit 40 knots. I've decided that is the line; if the wind sustains 40, we're coming about and heading back to Oceanside", I said with about as much conviction as I've ever mustered.

Jim thought about it and offered, "How about if we came about and got the wind on a starboard tack? She might handle quite a bit better. I hate to turn around when we've gone this far", Jim said. I replied that we weren't far enough off shore to tack back yet, and we'd have to climb just as far into the wind, just from the other side of the boat. "Nope", I said. "We will stay on this course for at least another 15 minutes, then take a look at our position. I don't want to have to climb up these seas like this all day."

In the end, we agreed that we needed to hold onto our present course until we could get a good tack, on a more favorable course, right into Dana Point harbor. The gods were with us because the wind never hit 40 knots again, it stayed at about 35 knots or a little more. We were really having a great time, telling stories, adjusting the sails, watching each sea carefully to make sure we 'hit' it right and checking our gear. Sailing in heavy weather is a busy pursuit.

We finally reached a point just over 10 miles off shore, that a course back toward Dana Point looked favorable. "Stand by the come about Jim", I yelled over the still screaming wind and spray. "OK skipper, I'm ready to go", Jim yelled back after getting his lines ready. I turned the wheel to starboard and Morning Star responded, instantly turning her nose back toward the NNE - back toward land.

This different tack took us on a course just upwind from Dana Point; perfect! And with a little less 'up hill' sailing to do, our speed picked up to almost 9 knots; a perfect course. We were slicing through the water as the seas, now coming on to us from about the 10 o'clock position, lifted us gently up then set us down just as nicely. We were making almost twice the speed as we had been earlier in the day - and the day before. Brother Jim and I were elated as I checked our course, speed and time to destination; just about an hour. We would be in Dana Point by noon. Perfect.

Brother Jim, hamming it up at the helm!

At about that time, a large squall cleared and we saw Dana Point for the first time. We couldn't quite make out where the harbor entrance was, so I referred to the iPad Nav app and had Jim adjust our course accordingly. Then, about a half hour before reaching the harbor, a hole in the clouds broke open and showered the small harbor area with wonderful, golden sunshine. Grinning, I looked at my brother and said, "Look at that Jim. They turned on the lights for us". Jim started chuckling and gave me a big hug. "What a great sail Johnny", he said as his crazy helmet raked across my ear and his grizzly whiskers sanded the side of my cheek.

The closer we got to the harbor, the sunnier it became, and we shed our jackets and sweaters and basked in the warm sunshine. It felt wonderful. When we arrived behind the breakwater at Dana Point, the wind died down to less than 15 knots and we took down the sails as we motored slowly up the calm waters of the channel. We watched as the people on shore enjoyed a day in what appeared to be a wonderful park. How nice and relaxed they seemed. But they had all missed a wonderful sailing trip up the coast with my brother Jim and me. As I thought about how lucky my brother and I are to be able to spend time like this together, I had to brush a small tear from my eye.

A month ago, they found another tumor growing inside of my brother Jim's brain. Here we go again. Please say a prayer for brother Jim.

Sometime later, I thought about how much this sailing trip reminded me of any number of times in my life. You know, things just don't seem to be going well, and whatever you do, they don't seem to get any better.

I've been there many, many times. I would find myself taking short tacks in a direction that was not working. Then, a big, new idea occurs to me, one that would involve some degree of risk, but what the hell, the other ideas weren't working anyway; why not try it.

So, I take a completely different tack, making the commitment to a big course change. I've never regretted the things I've done; I only regret the times when I didn't try something ‘that could have been’. Jimmy too...

Planting Your Tomatoes: Mickman Brothers Garden Center

2011-06-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

Tomato plants in the garden.

You've chosen your Tomato varieties based on: growing habits, disease resistance, uses, color, flavor, etc. and after much careful consideration you've chosen the very best! Now, let's get them growing in the garden! Take the time to ensure proper light, tomatoes like at least 8 hours of sunlight per day; soil condition, do you need to add any compost or other nutrients to the soil; and irrigation, they need to receive water on a regular schedule to prevent disease.

Plant tomatoes deep in the soil. Their stems have the ability to grow roots when they're buried, making the plants stronger, which is important if you've chosen indeterminate varieties that grow tall. There are two good ways to plant tomatoes: by digging a deeper hole, or by laying them on their side.

Pull off the leaves at the bottom.

If you choose to dig a deeper hole, just make sure part of the tomato plant is still above ground. Pull off the leaves on the part of the stem that you'll be burying, leaving the leaves on top intact. Pop the pot off (unless it's in a plantable pot) and place in the hole, bury with the soil and water in!

Laying the tomato plant on its side is pretty easy too. The trench needs to be big enough for the root ball on one side, and long enough to fit the tomato, again leaving part of the tomato plant above ground. Just turn the tomato plant up at the end and hold it while you fill in with soil, the stems are fairly flexible. Planting a tomato on its side gives it a lot of support as well, and the roots will be able to absorb a lot of water and nutrients with the added root surface area.

Planting a tomato in a trench.

Add cages or other means of support to your tomatoes right after planting them so you don't disturb their roots or break off stems after they've matured. You can see in the pictures that my husband constructed some interesting 'tomato troughs' from some 1x4 unfinished pieces of wood. They've worked really well! Other support structures include the popular tomato cage, or bamboo stakes.

Next week, we'll get your tomatoes on a regular watering schedule!

Sara Laning
Mickman Brothers Marketing (and Gardener)

Taking a Different Tack - A Story by John Mickman

2011-06-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

This story is dedicated to my brother, Jim.
Part 1 (of a 2-part story):

Morning Star moored in San Diego

At 8 AM, standing on the deck of Morning Star, our 37' sailboat, brother Jim and I watched the dark, grey clouds as they raced above San Diego Harbor. The breeze in the harbor was a steady 15 knots, and we knew that the wind 'outside' -around Point Loma - was probably blowing 20 knots plus. The good news was that the forecast predicted that it wouldn't get any worse as the day wore on.

Our plan was to sail to Dana Point, 65 miles up the coast that grey March day, to meet our cousin Heidi and husband Tim for dinner. We had planned to get an earlier start, but I dropped buddy Bill off at the airport, and the drive had taken a little longer than expected. Because neither Jim nor I had ever sailed into the Dana Point harbor, we wanted to arrive before dark that evening – and 65 miles is a pretty good poke for a sailboat, unless we had some very good sailing weather.

After readying the rigging, we fired up the engine, backed out of the mooring slip and motored out of the marina. After clearing the harbor, we hoisted the sails and began our south run to Point Loma which we needed to 'round' before we began our sail north to Dana Point. It was kind'a chilly, and a light drizzle began to spit at us as the northeast breeze continued to build.

"Hey Jimmy", I called out as we neared the point. "This early in the season I think we can cut pretty close to the point without having to worry about running into any thick kelp beds". Each summer at least one sailboat would be caught up in the thick, heavy strands of kelp and become disabled. Brother Jim agreed. "I'll stand watch-out on the bow and look for any early kelp beds. If I see it getting too thick, I'll let you know." If we cut close to the point without having to run 2 miles off shore to avoid kelp before 'rounding Point Loma, we would save at least an hour of sailing time.

The gamble paid off as Jim guided us past many kelp beds that may have fouled our rudder and propeller. However, by the time we were able to set course north for Dana Point it was after 9 o'clock. The good news was that it was blowing a pretty steady 20 knots from the NW, just enough off of our port bow to allow for good cruising.

After the sails were properly set, Jim and I reviewed our timetable. "We have 65 miles to go, and even at 6 - 7 knots, it will still take 10 hours to get to Dana Point", I said. "This is going to be close even if the wind holds." We were both squinting through the windborne drizzle at the steel grey Pacific Ocean. Although our visibility was less than 2 miles, our radar told me that there were no other small boats for at least 5 miles, and no ships within 20 miles. Jim reported the readings of both the anemometer (wind speed gauge) and the wind directional indicator with the comment that if things don't change, we should be able to make our rendezvous with cousin Heidi for dinner.

Morning Star under sail

With the wind off our bow by about 25 degrees, we had the sails as close hauled as they would go and we were making about 7 knots of speed. The wind had not laid down the previous night, so the seas were high - and building. Our sailboat, Morning Star was a 37.5 Hunter Legend with sloop rigging. She has a glass hull and a heavily weighted, winged keel which allows us to sail in shallower water. This keel design also gives us a smoother ride in tough weather as the keels' 'wings' act as stabilizers and and takes some of the bounce out of the ride. Whenever two sailboats are going the same direction it is a race (whether you like it or not), and time and again Morning Star has proven to be a very fast boat for her size. This trip was going to be a pretty good test for Morning Star as I had never had her out for an extended day sail of this sort with this much wind and sea.

By 11 o'clock the wind was blowing a steady 25 knots, gusting to 28 or so. The seas had continued to build and were 6 -8 feet, with some cresting at well over 10 feet. Not too bad, and Morning Star was proving to be a tough little boat. Unfortunately, the wind began to climb more to the north, and with the tack we were on, we were being blown off course, closer to the coast. "Stand-by to come about Jim", I yelled through the now screaming wind. "We need to get more off shore."

After adjusting the mainsail a tad, Jim readied the foresail lines and reported that he was ready. "OK, coming about", I called as I spun the wheel to port. Morning Star responds well and we immediately began the swing to the new, more westerly tack. As the wind blew the foresail to port, Jimmy pulled 'er in with the windless winch. "Snug 'er up tight Jim. We need to sail as steep a course as possible so we don't lose any ground on this tack", I commented. "Yup, got 'er", Jim reported back as he ground the wench handle tighter and tighter. "How do you like that John?", he asked when he thought the foresail was properly set. "Looks about right, Jim. Let's try that for a bit and see what the wind does."

So, off we went - in the wrong direction. Tacking a sailboat can seem to be a contrarian exercise to an inexperienced sailor because, unless the wind is blowing in the correct direction, you find yourself never really steering in the direction of your destination; our current predicament. You need to 'tack' back and forth as you sail 'against the wind'.

"Jim, I'm going to call Heidi and tell her we may not make it tonight. Unless this wind changes soon, there is no way we're going to make it all the way up to Dana Point. Take the wheel.", I said. Jim took the helm as I hunched under the dodger to get some protection from the weather. I called Heidi on my cell and told her we may not make it that day, but if not, could they meet us tomorrow night? 'Sure', Heidi replied. "Either night is good for us."

Cousin Heidi

Heidi is a pretty good sailor in her own right and asked how bad is was. "Well, if it doesn't get any worse, it's a pretty good sail", I reported. "We're making good time, we just can't hold a good course to Dana Point. The boat is sailing nicely and Jim and I are having a good time. I'll call you at 2", I said to Heidi, and then hung up. "OK Jim", I said, "Heidi is still open for dinner tomorrow if we don't make it up there tonight." Jim responded, "That's great, it kind of takes the pressure off now that we don't need to get all the way up to Dana Point tonight. Good deal!"

So, we sailed on as the wind climbed even more toward the north - the direction of Dana Point. As the day wore on, the wind speed steadied at about 25 knots, but the seas were really building. To maintain our 'general course' direction toward Dana Point, we tacked back and forth every 20 minutes or so to keep from getting too close to the coast or too far out to sea.

Three years ago, Jim developed glioblastoma - brain cancer. They had to open up his skull and scoop it out, and then he underwent radiation and 18 months of chemotherapy. He beat the odds by 95% and made an amazing recovery. But he needs to protect his head bone; to that end he wore a Chinese military helmet he acquired when he and his fiancé hitchhiked across China in the 1980's. It looked kind of goofy on a sailboat, but it worked - protecting his head from numerous bumps from the boom when we came about during the trip. Every day is a blessing for Jim and he lives them with gusto.

At about 1 o'clock, Jim was below deck changing into to some warmer clothes as I watched a pretty good sized 'rouge wave' racing toward us. I yelled down to Jim that it was coming, but he was way forward in his stateroom and didn't hear me. As it approached, I changed course and headed right into it so it didn't hit us across our beam. A big sea like this reminds me of a giant, taking a deep breath, and I felt the tremendous energy of the sea as we climbed to the top of the large ground swell. When we reached the top of this large sea, the bow section of Morning Star came out of the water, then came crashing down the back side of the swell. "Yee-Haw", I yelled out as we raced downhill to the fast approaching trough. We’re having fun now!

Shortly after that, Jim crawled back up the latter-way to deck and commented on the increasingly rough ride. He had made a cup of tea for himself and gave me a nice hot cup of coffee. "This will warm us up a little bit", he said with a smile as we balanced our hot broths to keep them from spilling onto the deck. "Thanks Jimmy. This tastes great; just the right amount of sugar", I said.

Brother Jim is a really good guy who is always in tune with others. Of all us kids, he was definitely the best one to become a physician. He is a great listener and one that rarely forgets anything, and he was honored to be chosen as one of the 'Top Docs' in the Twin Cities a few years back. His specialty is as a Pulmonologist, and unfortunately, many of his patients are very ill. It is very cool when I meet a new person who asks if I know Dr. James Mickman." I always reply, "Jimmy? You bet. He's our middle brother", I say. Then, more often than not, the new acquaintance will say something like, "Well your brother saved my wife's (brother, husband, mother, father...) life last year." Pretty heavy. It's nice having a brother like my brother Jim.

Sometimes I wish I had more of Jim's empathy. I chose to start a small business with brother Chris many years ago, and I'm afraid the rigors and constant stress of our company have taken their toll on me. I think I'm a little too focused and goal oriented to be a good, empathetic listener – although I try. If I make a mistake, someone's tree may die; if Jim makes a mistake, a person could die. Jim deals with this pretty well and is very good at comforting people. On the other hand, I'm pretty good in an emergency situation.

As I took deep gulp of my coffee, I checked the deck navigation system to verify our current position; to my dismay, it was dead! "Jim, something happened when that big sea hit us; we don't have any GPS or Radar!", I called out. Jim came around the helms station and looked at the now black screen and said, "That's not good. I wonder what happened?"

I looked over the starboard rail toward the coast and said, "My guess is that there was a bad electrical connection somewhere that just got knocked loose. I don't think we'll be able to find the problem in this weather. We can't see shore, but I know where we are - at least for awhile". I knew there were no ships anywhere within 20 miles, and we still had visibility of about 2 miles; we were about 4 miles off shore at the time.

In addition to being a good doctor, brother Jim is also an excellent sailor and he wasn't too concerned - but we both knew this could work into a pretty good problem if conditions deteriorated. "So, do we have a new plan John?” Jim asked as we continued racing in a WNW course - heading offshore.

We've been in heavy weather sailing a couple of times together, the last time being offshore near the Virgin Islands. That time the winds were blowing the same, at about 25 knots, and the warm rain was coming down in virtual sheets. With this limited visibility, we had run over a crab pot buoy which became tangled with our rudder and propeller, turning this crab pot into an anchor. To get clear of this the crab pot, Jim volunteered to dive overboard in the maelstrom to clear the line from our sailboat. He was successful and everything turned out OK. Things can happen fast in a storm at sea, and we were both pretty tuned in to the conditions at hand on this 'salty' day.

With a smile, I asked Jim to take the helm as I went below decks to get my iPad. My backup was a navigation app on the iPad on which I had loaded the southern California coastal charts. This is a great tool, as is also has a GPS locator loaded into it. As I worked the iPad, the virtual chart jumped to life on the screen, showing our current location, course, navigational hazards and available moorages and harbors.

Still smiling, I returned to deck and showed Jim the iPad screen and explained that as long as we don't venture too far offshore, we have a navigational GPS almost as handy as our now inoperable onboard 'nav station'. Jim was pleased. "Good deal John. This is great. How far offshore do you think it will work?", he asked me. "Well, I know that south of Point Loma it is good for about 10 miles, but it may be different up here. But, I'm sure it will work for a couple of miles off shore before we lose the signal which will keep us safe even if it fogs up into a pea-soup. There are no offshore reefs anywhere around here. We're good to go", I said as we sailed on.

By 2:30 it was clear there was no way we were going to make it to Dana Point by nightfall, and I called Heidi to tell her. "So where are you going to moor tonight?", she asked.

"There is a great harbor at Oceanside and we're headed there right now", I told her. "We should be there by about 5 o'clock - an hour or so before dark." We talked for a few more minutes and then I called the Oceanside Harbormaster on the VHS to confirm that there were some open slips at the transient dock; there were. The Harbormaster then informed me that they were dredging the mouth of the harbor and to be careful. Good advice!

After conferring with Jim, we came about with a new, more easterly course toward Oceanside. Just before 5 o'clock we dropped our sails outside the mouth of the Oceanside Harbor and fired up our engine. There were a half dozen other sailboats kind of milling around outside the entrance, seemingly confused about which way to enter the harbor because the huge dredging machine was blocking nearly the entire harbor entrance.

After trying to reach the dredger on the VHS radio to no avail, I chose a course to pass the dredger on our starboard side, around the churning monster vessel, and entered the harbor - using the iPad nav app. I knew there had to be at least one large flex-pipe leading to shore to dump all the sludge and mud the dredger was dredging up, but from our position we couldn't see it. As we passed slowly by this dredger, which looked like something from a Sci-Fi film, Jim and I both spotted the big pipe that brings the dredged material to shore. To our delight, we had correctly chosen the correct course (a 50/50 gamble).The other boats followed our lead into the safety of the calm water within the harbor.

Once inside the harbor area, we found the transient dock, chose a slip and tied up to the well appointed dock. After plugging into shore power, we walked up to the Harbormasters Shack - which doubled as the Harbor Police Station, to pay the moorage fee. By that time, just after 6 o'clock, the Harbormaster had gone home for the day, and a burly policeman unlocked the door and grudgingly let us into the building.

"What can I do for you guys?", he asked in a markedly unfriendly tone, like we were bothering him. "Well, we just got into town and we're tied up in Slip #3 down there", I replied, pointing over to Morning Star. "We want to pay the moorage fee. Can you make that happen?" "Yea", he grumbled back to us and pointed to an inside door within the small building entryway. I went through the door, as the cop went through the next door down, putting him on the opposite side of a large counter in a good sized office area. The door I had entered through closed, and I heard a loud 'CLICK' as an automatic lock slammed into place. Brother Jim hadn't come through the door.

With a markedly alarmed tone, the cop called out, "What happened to that other guy?". I quickly replied that I didn't know, at which point the cop ran back through his door and I heard him yell out, "What the hell do you think you're doing wandering around here?". I heard Jim reply in a much subdued tone, "Well, I'm just trying to find a restroom. Do you know where I can find one?"

"Yeah, I know where you can find one, but you can't just wander around the Police Station like this. I'm the only one on duty and I'm already doing you guys a favor letting you in after hours. Come through this door", the cop directed Jim, with a tone that was getting more gruff with each sentence. I watched as Jim, then the cop, returned through the door on the opposite side of the counter from me. The cop grumbled something to Jim and pointed to a door marked as a unisex restroom.

After watching Jim enter the restroom, the cop turned his attention to me and asked to see my license and insurance certificate. I passed these documents over to him for examination, but noticed that he was nervously looking over his shoulder every few seconds to watch for Jim when he came out of the restroom. I also noticed that he kept his right hand on his pistol holster; I didn't know if it was a habit of his or if he was expecting to use his firearm on one of us dangerous looking, pleasure sailors. In an effort to put him more at ease, I made small talk with him as I filled out a couple of forms for him, commenting on the weather, asking about local restaurants...

Jim was in there quite awhile, but the cop was feeling a little more comfortable; he took his hand off of his pistol. "There is a small craft advisory out for tomorrow", the cop said to me. "Here is a copy of it", he said as he pushed a computer printout across the counter to me. At just about that time, Jim came out of the restroom and began to meander through the office area. The cop looked annoyed and said to Jim, "you know this isn't really a public area of the building. I'd sure appreciate it if you would get over to the other side of the counter with your brother", he said as Jim perked up and walked directly over to the door, went through it and then through the door to ‘our’ side of the counter. The lock ‘clacked’ back in position, trapping us on our side of the counter. Spooky. After paying the cop $25 for the moorage fee, Jim and I left and returned to the boat.

Once there, we popped open a couple of beers and read the Small Craft Advisory. It predicted sustaining winds before noon the next day up to 25 knots, increasing to 30 knots sometime after 12 o'clock noon. "Well", I started, "25 knots is about what we had all day today Jim. We only have about 18 miles to Dana Point, so if we get an early start, we should be there well before noon. I don't think this is going to be a problem. I think we should throw the lines off at about 6 o’clock which should put is at Dana Point well before noon." Jim agreed, "Yea that sounds good to me. And I really don't want to spend all day tomorrow in Oceanside. Let's plan on leaving early like you say before the wind picks up mid-day."

The inside of Morning Star's cabin is all dark, teak paneling and with our kerosene lamp on, it is nice and cozy. We discussed the events of the day over our beers and agreed that the boat was doing well except for the navigation system. I had taken a quick look at the wiring harnesses and they looked just fine. However, the iPad chart was really all we needed and we both felt comfortable with this back-up system. Jim and I were a little beat up and wind-burned from being on deck all day, but we felt good.

I took a last long pull off my beer as I thought about the plan, "OK Jim, let's be ready to leave the harbor at 6 tomorrow, but we'll take a look at it to and get an updated forecast. If the weather looks any tougher than we like it, we'll make the final decision at that time. Let's find a place to get dinner in town", and we left the boat to get something to eat.

* * * * *

Next week find out how Jim and I made out the next day when the winds and seas picked up considerably. Did we make it to Dana Point to see Heidi – or not?

The Dragonflies - A Story by John Mickman

2011-06-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last night after work I noticed that the annual ‘hatching of the Dragonflies’ had occurred since the day before. After all the rains of this Spring, we have all seen thousands of ‘no-see-ums’ flying around in hordes and now the mosquitoes are out as well. To those that didn’t know, dragonflies love these little flying creatures.

As I was walking toward the setting sun toward our house, I saw a horde of about 150 small no-see-ums hovering in a squad, with about 12 dragonflies circling their perimeter. One at a time I watched as the dragonflies took turns, swooping in and eating the bugs. They reminded me of WWI Fighter Planes in miniature ‘dog fights’ – right in my back yard! It took only about 5 minutes for all of the flying insects to be gobbled up by the dragonflies. Not even one was left; awesome! I snapped a picture of the dragonflies resting on a trellis between 'Missions', pictured at right.

Dragonflies can travel at up to 60 mph and in that stage of their lives can live up to 2 months. Their main source of food is mosquitoes. So be nice to the dragonflies; they’re the good guys!

Choosing Tomatoes: Mickman Brothers Garden Center

2011-06-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Determinate or Indeterminate? Which one is best suited to your gardening needs?

Determinate tomatoes typically produce their fruit all at once, and usually have a compact growing habit. So basically, there's no need for tomato cages or large contraptions to keep the determinate varieties from falling over. You may need a bamboo pole or something smaller for minimal support, but it shouldn't be much to keep them from falling over. Determinate tomato varieties include: Celebrity, Better Bush, Patio, Rutgers, Roma and Marglobe.

Indeterminate tomatoes produce their fruit over the entire growing season (once matured) up until the first frost, and need cages or fencing or something similar to keep them upright. These are not ideal to grow in containers to set on your deck or patio, they need some room to grow! Indeterminate tomato varieties include: Heirlooms, Early Girl, Big Boy, Yellow Pear and Beef Master.

I'll be covering tomato tips for the next couple of weeks (since the growing season is getting off to a slow start). Hope you check the blog for more updates!

Sara Laning
Mickman Brothers Marketing

The Lady of the Lake - A Story by John Mickman, Mickman Brothers Garden Center

2011-05-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

When we were little kids, we called Grandma and Grandpa Mickman, Grandma/Grandpa Lake because they were the ones that lived on the lake. They lived quite close to us so we were able to go over there all the time -swimming, sailing, fishing and water skiing. (There was always some sort of work to do before the water sports could commence however.)

Grandma Lake, an immigrant from Norway, was an avid gardener. She built a huge stone wall, one small boulder at a time, had a large vegetable garden, grew perennials along all the edges, had a bountiful crop of apples each year and the garage was a veritable mountain of grape vines. Being ‘teetotalers’ they made grape juice; never wine. Good gracious no! She became a citizen in her ‘30’s and was proud of her work at the New Brighton Arsenal during WWII to support the troops.

The 'Lady of the Lake' at John & Wendy's house.

One of my Grandma’s prizes was her ‘Lady of the Lake’ bronze Garden Sculpture. She and grandpa never had much money, but she prized this garden sculpture and placed it in a cherished place in her garden. It was near the apple tree surrounded by daylilies.

Before she passed on to her ‘heavenly reward’ she asked me if I would like to have her ‘Lady’. My family lived on Coon Lake in East Bethel at the time and I told her I would be honored to have it. We brought it over to my house together and picked a good spot for it. She smiled, gave me a hug and told me that her ‘Lady of the Lake’ was going to be happy there.

We are in our 3^rd house since then, but ‘the Lady’ has followed us to each of these homes. My grandma and I had a special relationship, one that could never be replaced. But I don’t really need a replacement; grandma visits me each time I see the ‘Lady on the Lake’ in our garden. When I pass on to my heavenly reward, I will give ‘The Lady’ to one of our children. Hopefully they’ll remember me when they pass by her.

John Mickman, President

Mickman Brothers, Inc.

The Birds & the Bees - A Story by John Mickman

2011-05-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE WILSON ELEMENTARY 'FIELD TRIP TO MICKMAN BROTHERS GARDEN CENTER'

Our kids really loved peanut butter and honey sandwiches when they were young. Loved them. However they were kind of a treat and not to be had just any old day.

At our small farmstead in Ham Lake during the '70's and '80's I had planted a small orchard with 4 rows of 7 apple trees each, and 2 apricot trees on the edge; 1 Moongold and 1 Sungold Apricot. The 28 apple trees were mostly Haralson and Fireside (Honey Crisp Apple Trees had yet to be developed). The soil was very sandy so I added an irrigation system to the orchard to ensure a good crop of apples each year and to keep the grass green. The orchard was very healthy, looked great and caught the eye of many travelers as they passed by our little homestead.

The kids and I would watch each year as the trees grew, and in time we got to know each tree individually. Some grew faster than others, all were unique and looked different and a couple eventually tilted off to one side or the other - maybe from the weight of all the apples. Well maintained fruit trees all develop their own 'character' as they weep from the weight of their annual bounty. As a young man, these are the trees on which I learned to prune ornamental trees because I could see the results of each late winter’s pruning throughout the seasons.

Every 10 days or so I'd get out the trusty pump-up sprayer and spray the trees to prevent worms from infesting our valuable crop of apples. When the trees began to bear fruit, the kids and I would worry about breaking branches, and many times we would brace some branches to prevent them from breaking. When our two oldest daughters, Heather and Maegen were 10 years old or so they put up a sign by the side of the road advertising, 'Mickman Sisters Apples' and would sell them to the passers-by; their introduction to the wily world of business.

I use to love walking through our little orchard with the kids talking about these trees and our hope for a good crop of apples each year. We loved apples. Can you tell?

Early one fine Spring day, my daughter Maegen and I were walking through the orchard and all the trees were in full bloom. Tens of thousands of pink flowers surrounded us as we ambled amongst these trees. The morning was warm with just a hint of a breeze as little Cottonwood 'snowflakes' wafted down around us, the sun glinting through these delicate little parachutes. A magical day.

As we examined the apple blossoms, Maegen noticed the honey bees which were flitting from bloom to bloom, crawling into each individual flower for just a couple of seconds, before going to the next beautiful pink blossom. "Are those bees trying to eat the flowers dad?", she asked as we watched all the action.

"Oh no Mae", I replied. "Those bees are going from flower to flower to get the honey out. See how they crawl inside to get the honey, then crawl out and flit to the next flower." There were bees all over the place, but they were all very busy and didn't bother with us at all.

"And do you know what else Maegen?", I continued. "When they go inside the flowers, they get little seeds on their legs and spread them to other flowers in the trees. After these little seeds get spread around we'll get apples. Without the bees we won't have any apples at all".

"Good thing for the bees, huh dad?" Maegen said getting some understanding of the concept. "But how does the honey get into the flowers dad?", she asked.

This is one of those hard questions kids ask and you wonder how best to answer. "Well" I began, "it is just part of the big plan Mae. Without the honey, the bees won't go into the flowers and there wouldn't be any trees. All this stuff in nature kind of works together. Without one thing, there wouldn't be another thing. This is a good example of how it all works. Do you know what I mean?", I asked, wondering if she would get a grip on the concept.

"Maybe I do dad", she said in a tentative, thoughtful manner. "So where does peanut butter come from", she asked me. I smiled and concluded that she didn't really get the idea - having trouble separating the peanut butter from the honey - both of which came together on her favorite sandwiches. "Well", I explained. "Peanut butter comes from peanuts and peanuts don't grow around here. Remember how your mom gets peanut butter from one jar and honey from another jar...". This conversation continued for some time.

Later that afternoon, our little family all piled into our VW bus and headed to grandma's house for dinner. As we rolled past our little orchard, Maegen walked to the front of the VW (this was way before car seats were required) and pointed to the beautiful, pink blossomed apple trees and asked, "Mom, do you know what all the bees are getting out of those flowers on the apple trees?". Mom replied that she did not know what they were getting. With a great big grin on her face, proud of knowing something as important as this, Maegen announced, "Well mom, they're out there getting the peanut butter!"

My eyes welled up with tears as I gave Maegen one of the biggest 'one armed hugs' she had ever gotten as I drove the van to gramma’s house.

Field Trip to Mickman Brothers Garden Center!

2011-05-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

Wilson Elementary School Field Trip

Zachary's Letter

As some of you know, I’ve been writing stories about some of my adventures (and misadventures!) and sharing many of them online with you. A couple of years ago I was asked by a since retired teacher at Wilson Elementary in Anoka if I would share some of these stories with her writing class. I was delighted!

Desaya's Letter

Since that time I have visited Wilson Elementary many times to share stories and talk about writing with these wonderful children. It truly does make my day each time I visit and am re-invigorated when I return to work. Once again last week I shared two of my stories with two writing classes at Wilson and was rewarded not only with the enriching experience, but also with individual letters of thanks by each of the kids. The letters above are examples of these notes. Click here to read Zachary's letter. Click here to read Desaya's letter.

Planting their flowers!

Each of the kids was enthusiastic about a visit to Mickman Brothers, so yesterday we were treated to a field trip by the kids to our company with 120 wonderful 4th graders. They came at two different times and we broke them up into 3 groups of 20 children each, led by either Sara Laning, Wanda Shelmidine or me. It took nearly an hour for the tours which included each child planting an annual ‘plug’ into a 4” pot. One can only imagine what kind of a ‘fire-drill’ that turned out to be! Each child was able to choose the type of flower they wanted to plant and they did a wonderful job transplanting and ‘watering in’ each of their plants to take home to their parents. What fun!

During the tour we all talked about the jobs each of us do at Mickman Brothers and how much we enjoy ‘doing what we do’. Our trade association, the MN Nursery and Landscape Association supplied pens and book markers for each child encouraging them to go online to thelandlovers.org to learn more about career opportunities in the Green Industry. A couple of the kids told me they’d like to grow up and have a job just like my daughter Mariah (that they met during the tour) who is an Urban Forester graduate from the U of M.

Thanks again for the wonderful teachers and staff at Wilson Elementary for making this all possible. It is great to meet and know some of the many individuals that make our school systems rewarding in so many ways!

John S. Mickman

President
www.mickman.com

An Annual Planting Event - Mickman Brothers Garden Center

2011-05-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

An Annual Event:

Time to design your Patio Planters to set by your doors!

The Method: Most gardener's have a simple rule of thumb; Thrillers, Fillers, and Spillers. We used the Proven Winners Ceylon container as our example.

The Thriller is your focal point, your structure in the pot. Good Thriller plants include bananas, elephant ears (in the pictured container), canna lilies, and ornamental grasses (think ‘Purple Fountain’).

The Spiller flows over the sides of the pot, sometimes reaching the ground. Nice Spillers are sweet potato vines, calibrachoa (pictured), bacopa, creeping jenny (also pictured), and ivy.

The Filler connects the space between the Thrillers and the Spillers. Coleus (in the pictured container), superbells, ‘Diamond Frost’, and nemesia make wonderful Fillers!

Click here for the pictured Proven Winners Ceylon container recipe and create this container at your house!

www.mickman.com

The Spring Rite - A day in the life of a Mickman Brother

2011-04-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Shared by: John Mickman

Back in 1970's, Mickman Brothers was operated out of the small farmstead where my family lived. The old farmhouse had sloping floors, breezy windows, a dark narrow staircase - and lots of love. My wife and I had 4 beautiful children, Heather, Maegen, John Jr. and Mariah - all 2 years apart. The office was behind the barn which was put together around hand-hewn timbers secured with wooden pegs. Our place was pretty cool and life was good.

Starting a new business was a lot of work, but since my office was at home I was able to spend much time with the kids. They all worked in the business as they were growing up and they all learned to enjoy doing a job well done.

Being the oldest, Heather was quite precocious, learned to 'be in charge' early in life and always had a lot of questions. When Heather was 4 years old, the whole family went shopping on Holy Saturday afternoon to pick up groceries for the next day’s Easter Dinner (since I was the oldest brother, all these family gatherings happened at our house).

This particular Holy Saturday was cold and blustery, like many Easters in Minnesota. After many trips from the VW bus into the kitchen with the groceries, I was looking forward to nice cup of hot coffee. But, when I went to close the kitchen door, I saw that Heather was still standing outside in the cold, warmly wrapped in her red & white checkered winter parka with the red beanie at the tip of its pointed hood. Her plump, rosy cheeks were about the same color as the red of her coat and her little red mittens. She was just standing there, looking quite forlorn - like she had just lost her favorite doll.

Her look was gently tugging on my heart-strings; something was wrong and I needed to fix it. "What's wrong honey", I asked as I kneeled down beside her. As she looked at me I noticed a tear in the corner of one eye. "Oh nothing daddy", she replied. "I'm OK."

I looked at the house as she had been looking, and everything seemed to fine to me; the only thing that was a little unusual was that our Christmas Wreath was still on the door. It looked great, still green and full and I had seen no reason to throw it away - being a frugal person that had been trained by parents that had gone through the Great Depression.

"Come on Heather, please tell me what's wrong. I can tell you are worried about something", I asked again. "Well", she replied, "Do you think that maybe the Easter Bunny won't bring us Easter Baskets tonight when he sees the Christmas Wreath on the door?"

I looked at the wreath on the door and I felt a little tear forming in my eyes. With all the problems in the world and with me trying to scratch out a living with our little family business, my daughter helped to bring the really important things back into focus. "Heather", I said as I held her little face between my well worn, calloused hands, "I don't know for sure if that wreath will scare the Easter Bunny away. But, let's not take a chance. You and I are going to take that wreath down right now - just in case. What do you think about that?"

In return, I received a daughter-to-father smile that only dad's get to experience. A smile from way down deep in your daughter’s heart that fills you up like nothing else can. Beaming in this way Heather said, "OK daddy, let’s do it right now". Then, together my daughter Heather and I took that Christmas Wreath down and put it in the garbage can.

So began the John Mickman Family Tradition of displaying our Christmas Wreath on the front door of our home until just before Easter Sunday - just in case it scares the Easter Bunny away.

This plan worked well for almost 30 years. What happened? Well 12 years ago, not long before Easter, a family of wrens built a house in the wreath on our door and started their own family. And now, each Spring the wrens build a nest and raise a family in our Christmas Wreath. All guests to our home think we're a couple of pine cones short of a full wreath, but we have to keep our wreath up well into May each year as the young chicks break open their shells and grow strong enough to fly away.

So now, the Mickman Household displays our Christmas Wreath from November to May - over half the year. Some say it's crazy - right up until the time I tell them the story of my little girl Heather who was worried about the Easter Bunny!

Garden Center in Minnesota seeking single Sunny Sky!

2011-04-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

Weekend projects are already piling up and the rain, well, the rain just isn't playing along this April! The grass is greening up. Last year's gardens need to be cut down. I'm pretty sure I missed the Pansy planting window, or did I? And it's what next weekend? It's Mother's Day? I'm blaming that one on the late Easter this year. Mother's Day usually doesn't catch me this off guard. It's already time to head to the garden center and pick out my Mother's Day planter for Mom.

Mickman Brothers Garden Center is introducing a new idea this Mother's Day, to make shopping for your flowers easy and convenient. We're introducing Annual Ensembles: Mickman Signature Collections. The ensembles have matching flowers and colors available in Hanging Baskets, Patio Planters and Window Boxes. Make any display combinations you can think of: a hanging basket with a planter on each side of your front door; a window box with a hanging basket; window boxes on your deck railing with a hanging basket swinging off the bottom; the combinations are endless!

Visit with Randy, Garden Center Manager, or Alyssa, Annuals Manager, this weekend at the 25th Annual Open House Weekend. They can show you which Ensembles are specific for sunny porches or which Ensembles belong on shady patios.

Where to apply Preen - Mickman Brothers Landscape Maintenance

2011-04-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Mariah Mickman demonstrates how to apply Preen Garden Weed Preventer in a perennial landscape garden. Early Spring is the best time to apply Preen, it does not harm your perennial plants, as they are already established. It does not kill existing weeds, it will prevent new weeds from sprouting - eliminating the need for hand weeding! Preen prevents weeds for up to 3 months! Call Mariah, Landscape Maintenance, or our Landscape Design department with any questions, 763.413.8296 or mariah.mickman@mickman.com.

Pruning Ornamental Grasses - Mickman Brothers Landscape Department

2011-04-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Mariah Mickman shows us how to trim back our ornamental grasses after the long Minnesota winter! The ornamental grass looked great in our Winter landscape garden, but it needs to be pruned back to allow for new growth in the upcoming gardening season! Contact Mariah or any of our Landscape Designers for more about cleaning up your landscape gardens or updating your current landscape design, mariah.mickman@mickman.com

Snow Mold - Mickman Brothers Landscape Maintenance

2011-04-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Mariah Mickman gives advice on how to handle Snow Mold on your lawn after the Spring thaw. Our Landscape Maintenance and Design departments hope to assist you in preparing your yard for a fantastic growing season! Call Mariah at 763.413.8296 with any Landscape Maintenance questions, or mariah.mickman@mickman.com!

Tree Pruning - Mickman Brothers Maintenance Department

2011-04-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

Mariah Mickman demonstrates how to prune a Spring Snow Crabapple tree, something that can be done in the early Spring months. Pruning trees right now is perfectly fine, as long as Oak trees are pruned BEFORE April 1st. Pruning Oak trees after April 1st leaves them susceptible to Oak wilt.

Watch the video!

Look for Mickman Brothers Landscape Designers this weekend in Blaine!

2011-03-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Purple Petunia annuals

Yes, it snowed yet again to spoil our hopes and dreams that Spring was in fact showing up sometime soon. After all, Puxatony Phil did promise us we would have our early spring season, and that was over 6 weeks ago. What kind of groundhog would lie about a thing like that? Well, he wasn't from Minnesota, that's for sure! As we all know, the snow will melt... eventually and we'll all get to spend a nice summer outside. But until that actually happens, we'll share some pictures of our growing greenhouses to get you through the next few days. They're full of annual and perennial flowers, just babies right now, but they're green and that makes everyone smile!

Also, join us this Saturday for the 1st Annual Women's Expo hosted by the Aveda Corporation in Blaine. Anne Marie, one of our stellar Landscape Designers, will be there showing off some pictures of her awesome Landscape Designs. Anne has many credentials to her name, including submitting the winning design on an episode of Landscapers' Challenge on HGTV! She has an amazing ability to see her client's landscape vision, and bring it to life! Call her today: 763.434.3346. View some of Mickman Brothers landscape designs on our Landscape Picture Gallery. www.mickman.com

Bleeding Heart perennials

Mickman Brothers at the Minneapolis Home & Garden Show!

2011-02-28T10:26:00.000-08:00

Mickman Brothers Landscape Design team will be at the Minneapolis Home & Garden Show this weekend, March 2nd through March 6th. We have once again joined forces with the Minnesota State Horticultural Society to design a fantastic garden display! We also have a booth right across the aisle from our partnered MSHS garden with more information about our Landscape Design and Underground Sprinklers, and even some hard to resist Garden Center coupons. The Home & Garden Show has ideas and displays for both the inside and outside of your home: kid spaces, kitchens, man caves, gardens, energy efficiency, snack sampling, celebrity seminars, the garden market and the garden theater just to name a few. Visit the Home & Garden Show website to save $3 on your tickets when you purchase them online. MSHS Northern Gardener level members and above: Pick up your two free tickets at the MSHS Will Call Booth near the main entrance of both shows.

Visit Mickman Brothers Landscape Designers at the Home & Patio Show!

2011-02-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

The snow is melting, you can actually hear running water outside! Enjoy the February thaw this weekend at the St Paul Home & Patio Show. Mickman Brothers will be there with an impressive display, illustrating regional, natural and sustainable resources used to beautify any home or business. The garden is designed to resemble the state of Minnesota, using dark stone from the North Shore and light limestone from southern Minnesota which makes Target Field shine! Our landscape designers have incorporated local paving products and plant material to guide you through The Minnesota Garden, with walkways constructed to resemble the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. Who can resist mingling with live plants and bubbling rocks at this time of year?

$2 OFF ADMISSION COUPON

Mickman Brothers has buttons available for Ham Lake Snowbowl

2011-02-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

No shortage of winter weather for Ham Lake Snowbowl

Good luck to all hunting for the Ham Lake Snowbowl medallion!!

Chris Mickman of Mickman Brothers will be at the Ham Lake Snow Bowl February 12th

2011-01-31T11:16:00.000-08:00

Ham Lake artist creates steel sculpture for Snow Bowl

Mickman Brothers Landscape Designer wins HGTV Landscapers' Challenge!

2011-01-20T12:24:00.000-08:00

Anne Marie Moseman

Anne Marie is featured on the 'Poster of Professionals' for Dakota County Technical Institute's Landscape Design Program from which she graduated in 1988. She has earned the respect and business from her many clients by listening to their ideas and guiding them through the landscape construction process.

Anne Marie has received accolades and recognition from numerous fronts, including earning an MNLA Merit Award, having one of her projects featured on 'Rebecca's Garden' as well as being selected for HGTV's Landscape Challenge show on the HGTV Network in 2006.

Pictures from the HGTV Landscaper's Challenge

Mickman Brothers installs Target Field irrigation for the Minnesota Twins

2011-01-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

A green haven under an open sky

Originally Posted Wednesday, March 24, 2010 by ABC Newspapers |
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer

A Minnesota Twins outfielder sprints, then dives to catch a fly ball.

He slides on the grass carpet more real than the Twins have seen at home for almost 30 years. He triumphantly pushes up and hops to his feet, the ball in hand. The crowd, shading their eyes against the sun, go wild when they see that the home team got the out.

This is one of many images Minnesota Twins fans will see this year when the
club moves to Target Field. A Ham Lake company is playing a major role
in keeping the field a vivid green.

Mickman Brothers was the contractor for Target Field irrigation system,
which ultimately cost about $80,000, according to Jeff Sutter, a
Mickman Brothers employee for over 25 years who supervised the
irrigation project.

In its over 30 years of installing irrigation systems for residential
and commercial properties and athletic fields, Mickman Brothers has
worked on larger projects, but nothing as high profile as Target Field,
Sutter said.

“It’s just been a really proud thing to be a part of that whole stadium,” he said.
The system will do more than provide water for the field. Recycled
water will be used to wash seats in the lower half of the first level
of the stadium.

According to Sutter, a cistern under the field will collect water
drainage after it has been treated by a filtration system. This stored
water can be pumped to the whole perimeter of the field.

From here, Sutter said Target Field maintenance crews could hook up to
the system with hoses and wash the lower-level seats. Other seats would
be washed using water from a different system.

Getting it done
Sutter began working on this project during the spring of 2008 after
Georgia-based Fields, Inc. notified Mickman Brothers that it had won
the bid.

The system was installed over a two-month period from late June to late
August 2009 on top of a couple of inches of sand sub-grade and the
field drainage system, according to Sutter.

Placed above the irrigation system was a four-inch layer of pea gravel.
Above this is heat system tubing that will help the grass roots grow at
an optimal rate. Above the heating system is 10 inches of root zone
material, which Sutter said includes 93 percent sand and 7 percent
peat. The Colorado sod is placed on top.

Three days after the irrigation system was in place and the sod was
installed, Sutter said the field started to be watered. The pipes were
drained Dec. 1, 2009 and the system was winterized.

After remaining dormant during the winter, the tarp was taken off and the irrigation system was turned on by Sutter March 12.

Once the tarp was removed, Sutter slowly turned the control valves in a
Target Field control room to gradually fill the pipes with water. As
the pipes filled up, he turned up the pressure to normal operation.
Although the system is up and running, Sutter will not be a stranger to
Target Field’s groundskeeper. He will stop by when the system needs to
be drained before winter and filled before spring.

The groundskeeper is in charge of ongoing maintenance and turning the sprinklers on and off during the season.

Sutter said if they want any modifications done to the system to make
it easier to operate, Mickman Brothers will make the changes.

Entering Target Field
While Sutter had seen the artist renderings of Target Field, nothing
could compare with seeing the structure in person and he said the
public will be very impressed.

“It’s going to be overwhelming when you set foot in there,” he said.
The first game at Target Field will be played by the University of
Minnesota baseball team against Louisiana Tech tomorrow (Saturday,
March 27) at 1:05 p.m. Tickets can only be purchased at Target Field on
the day of the game.

Sutter plans to attend the first pre-season game the Minnesota Twins
play at Target Field Friday, April 2 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
This game starts at 5:10 p.m. and a Saturday, April 3 exhibition game
against the Cardinals starts at 1:10 p.m.

The regular season home opener against the Boston Red Sox is Monday, April 12 at 3:10 p.m.

Copyright 2010 ABC Newspapers

Mickman Brothers taking part in Tree Planting Initiative

2011-01-19T09:12:00.000-08:00

Mickman Brothers Conservation Efforts

Posted on April 17, 2008 by abcnewspapers
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer

Mickman Brothers of Ham Lake will contribute to the planting of over 45,000 tree seedlings this spring through partnerships with Cub Foods and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

John Mickman, president of Mickman Brothers, told ABC Newspapers that if the company he and his brother Chris Mickman own did not give away these seedlings, nobody else might do it.

“There’s always some kind of reason not to do these kind of things,” John Mickman said. “But as everybody knows, in recent years, our governmental agencies have gotten severe cutbacks in their budgets and much of this work that had been carried out in past years is no longer happening.”

According to John Mickman, his family business will pay for 100 percent of the cost for the DNR to plant 25,000 evergreen trees this spring in Minnesota state parks and state forests in northern Minnesota and at Sand Dunes State Forest in Zimmerman, Minn.

On Saturday, April 19, all Cub Foods will host a kids scavenger hunt from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Once they solve clues on the environment, recycling or food, kids will be led to tree seedlings that they and their parents can plant.

Mickman Brothers and Cub Foods split the cost of 20,000 Black Hills spruce seedlings that will be given away at Cub Foods’ 76 store locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. There are 56 stores in the Twin Cities alone, according to Cub Foods spokeswoman LeeAnn Jorgenson.

This give away honors Earth Day, Jorgenson said, which is next Tuesday, April 22.
John Mickman said Cub Foods has been a loyal customer over the last decade. Mickman Brothers manufactures Christmas wreaths, holiday door swags, centerpieces and garland for Cub Foods.

From April 21-27, Mickman Brothers will give away a total of 500 Black Hills spruce seedlings at its garden center in Ham Lake, which is located on the southwest corner of Highway 65 and Andover Boulevard.

John Mickman said they will give away 50 seedling packages from Monday, April 21 through Friday, April 25 and then give away 125 seedling packages on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27. All seedlings will be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The give away at Mickman Brothers honors Arbor Day on April 25.

John Mickman said he is looking forward to helping the DNR plant the evergreen trees this spring. He has planted trees each year since he was 10 years old. His father in 1960 purchased 500 acres to turn into a Christmas tree farm near Lake George in Oak Grove and the family business expanded to other farms throughout the area.

When Mickman was a young man, he was a commercial fisherman in Alaska where he saw the devastation of the shrimp and king crab fisheries. This peaked his interest in environmental conservation in general.

“When one sees something like that personally, especially when you’re a young person, it makes a big impact,” he said.

Copyright 2008 ABC Newspapers

Wilson Fifth-Graders Learn Natural and Historic Lessons

2011-01-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

Wilson fifth-graders learn natural and historic lessons

Originally Posted Thursday, September 23, 2010 1:58 pm by ABC Newspapers
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer

If only trees could talk. They would have some amazing stories to tell. For about a week, students at Wilson Elementary in Anoka walked by and touched a dead stump of a red oak tree that had lived through two world wars, women’s suffrage when women got the right to vote, man landing on the moon, 9/11 and much more.

On a Thursday morning last week (Sept. 16), almost 100 fifth-graders witnessed the planting of a tree that is about as old as they are while they heard about the important role they play in the environment and how more people are needed to plant them.

Twenty years from now, the Sienna Glen Maple will be fully grown at 50 to 60 feet tall, said John Mickman, who co-founded Mickman Brothers in Ham Lake with his brother Chris.

Principal Diane Henning said whenever the kids come back to visit, they will feel like they were a part of something.

“It will help them to have ownership because they’ll be here when it’s happening,” Henning said. “It’s helping them understand that they’re part of the community.
Elementary students from all over the state of Minnesota took some ownership in the planet on the same day. Volunteers from 70 companies associated with the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association visited elementary schools to encourage the youth to plant trees.

This specific initiative is new and called Green for Life. It received the attention of the governor’s office. Gov. Tim Pawlenty drafted a proclamation specifically for this statewide effort.

Besides encouraging environmental friendliness, this was an effort to excite kids about the horticulture industry.

“We felt that at this age none of the kids have a clear idea what they want to be when they grow up,” said John Mickman, who mentioned that two kids came up to him after his presentation and said they wanted to work at Mickman Brothers when they grow up.

Students were not merely bystanders for the 45-minute planting and presentation. While the maple tree was planted, John Mickman talked about all the ways trees help people. They make the air easier to breathe because they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and clean polluted air. The root systems help stabilize soils, which helps with erosion concerns. Trees also serve as a wind break and more appealing noise barrier for humans.

John Mickman has worked closely with over 90 students at Wilson Elementary for the past year ever since the now retired fourth grade teacher Janet Vratkovich contacted Mickman after reading the Mickman Brothers newsletter. The students have visited the Ham Lake businesses garden center and Mickman has taught the students a lot about the industry.

The students, who are now fifth-graders, did not forget John Mickman over summer vacation. When he came to the school last Thursday, they yelled out his name and happily greeted him.

Copyright 2010 ABC Newspapers

Mickman Brothers working on Target Field Irrigation System

2011-01-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

Posted on March 25, 2009 by abcnewspapers
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer

A handful of Mickman Brothers employees will be installing the
irrigation system at the new Minnesota Twins ballpark this summer.

Around the time the 2008 major league baseball season started, Georgia-based Fields, Inc. informed the Ham Lake company that it won the irrigation bid. The contract amount is presently $59,980, according to Jeff Sutter, project manager for the Target Field irrigation project.

Irrigating athletic fields is nothing new for Mickman Brothers. The company has worked on irrigation systems for residential and commercial properties and athletic fields for over 30 years.

Sutter has 25 years of experience with Mickman Brothers. Mike Kaupp, the superintendent for the Target Field project that will include three other Mickman Brothers workers, has worked for Mickman Brothers for 15 years.

Sutter said Mickman Brothers has installed irrigation systems for Eagan High School, Rogers High School, the Anoka-Hennepin School District and the Elk River School District. It worked on the first phase of the National Sports Center project in Blaine, installing irrigation systems for the stadium and some of the surrounding soccer fields.

“It’s really an honor,” Sutter said of working on Target Field, which is set to open for the 2010 baseball season.

“We always told ourselves it’s one baseball field,” Sutter said. “It’s not as large of a project, but it is a major league baseball field. It’s about as high of a profile project as you can have.”

Trenches will not be dug for the irrigation pipes, Sutter said. Instead, the pipes will be placed on a sub-grade, 10-inches of soil will be placed on top of this and then the grass for the field, which was grown off-site last summer, will be placed on top of the soil.

A heating system to keep the roots growing at an optimal rate before next winter and a drainage system will be installed in coordination with the irrigation system, Sutter said.

There will be no pressurized pipes under the field because of the way the irrigation system is designed, Sutter said.

Typically control valves are buried in the field in valve boxes. At Target Field, the control valves will be located within an irrigation room inside the stadium. Servicing the valves will be much easier because they will not be buried, Sutter said.

A technology called smart irrigation controllers can measure rain, high winds and low temperatures to determine when a field or yard needs to be irrigated. This encourages water conservation because people are not always around to monitor their sprinklers or they may under-water or over-water their grass.

“It’s the future of irrigation,” Sutter said.

Smart irrigation controllers technology has been around for many years, but the expense was high enough that initially it was found on larger projects such as golf courses. It has become more common for housing projects, city parks and businesses because it is more affordable than it was in the past, Sutter said.

Target Field’s irrigation system will not include this technology, however, because a groundskeeper will be responsible for monitoring the irrigation system, Sutter said.

Copyright 2009 ABC Newspapers